Tribune. Eight years almost to the day after the Rana Plaza tragedy that claimed 1,135 victims on April 24, 2013, it is still the textile sector which is at the forefront of human rights issues.
On Monday, April 11, the associations Sherpa, Ethics on Etiquette, the Uighur Institute of Europe and a Uighur victim announced the filing of a complaint with the Paris judicial court, against several companies in the sector for concealment of forced labor and crime against humanity. Unpublished criminal legal bases which, combined with the notion of duty of vigilance, impose on the brands concerned a quasi-presumption of responsibility.
Legal and reputational pressure
They must prepare for a very heavy burden of proof to convince judges and public opinion of the seriousness of their mechanisms for preventing and mitigating the risks of human rights violations.
This legal and reputational pressure is now targeting the Zara, Bershka, Pull and Bear and Massimo Duti brands belonging to the Inditex group, the Sandro, Maje, Claudie Pierlot and De Fursac brands, owned by SMCP, as well as Uniqlo. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are already announcing that the complaint will be gradually extended to other brands as well as to retail chains.
At a time when the Chinese authorities explicitly show their desire to impose their values on the world, the very existence of this initiative shows that this does not dissuade civil society organizations from acting.
It also sends a strong message to international brands, such as Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Abercrombie & Fitch or The North Face which have in recent days withdrawn their commitments under pressure from the Chinese government, Hugo Boss going so far as to proudly announce that they are continuing their purchases. of cotton from Xinjiang province.
Boycott
An about-face which exposes them to a new wave of boycotts in the wake of the campaign carried out since 2020 in particular by the MEP (S & D) Raphaël Glucksmann, present at the press conference announcing the filing of the complaint.
This judicial initiative also illustrates an alignment of interests with the European authorities, whose recent sanctions targeting several Chinese dignitaries are unprecedented, more than thirty years after the embargo measures which followed the repression of the movement in Tiananmen Square.
Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Abercrombie & Fitch and The North Face have withdrawn their commitments under pressure from the Chinese government, Hugo Boss going so far as to proudly announce that it is continuing to buy cotton from Xinjiang.
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